St. Patrick’s counter punch

St. Patrick’s Day is Friday and while several of us may be taking a few moments to find our annual Irish gear, it’s worth noting a bit of this saints story.

It surprised me to discover that St. Patrick did not initially arrive in Ireland by his own free will. He was a victim of human trafficking—brought to Ireland at age sixteen by pirates. After six years of enslavement, Patrick escaped and found his way home.

During his time of enslavement his heart was awakened to know God in a more personal way, beyond going to the cathedral for mass. After returning home, God stirred his heart toward the people who had been unjust to him. To repay evil with kindness. This is the way of the Kingdom, the way of love.

Can you imagine living like this? It’s hard to comprehend and even harder to do. Our culture is filled with injustice, and yet it’s thirsty for justice, which requires us to not only stand up for what is right, but by our actions counter punch injustice with the kindness and love which is poured out on us by Christ.

God’s Kingdom will expand, people will come to find and follow Christ in proportion to our display of courage as we live in faith, hope, and love in the riptide of injustice. St. Patrick’s impact for the Kingdom was rooted in it.

Weekend Attendance

Knoxville Campus Sunday

Knoxville Campus Saturday

Parkway Campus

Total

Weekend Giving

On average Richwoods needs to receive $39.1K in gifts to meet its 2017 operating expenses, 10% of which goes immediately to Missions and helping people in our community who are experiencing financial troubles.

Knoxville Campus: $33K

Parkway Campus: $1.5K

Total Giving: $34.5K

Weekly Anticipated Giving: $39.1K

If you have questions about the information shared in this fyi, you can contact our Executive Pastor, Joel Dryden by email. You can also leave a comment below.